BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Human Emotions 3' English mega-class! Thirty minutes of new vocabulary!

Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute

English, I'm Neil. This is

the programme where in

just six minutes we discuss

an interesting topic and

teach some related English

vocabulary. And joining me

to do this is Rob. In this programme, we're

discussing schadenfreude.

Hold on, Neil! 'Schadenfreude'...

that's a German word.

Schadenfreude is what we can

call a loanword - a word

from one language that is

used in another language

without being changed.

So, you're right - schadenfreude

is used in English and, am I

right in thinking it

describes the satisfying

feeling you get when something

and happens to someone else?

You're right, Rob. Imagine

you're in a queue at the

supermarket and someone

pushes in, but when they got

to pay, their credit card

doesn't work! Think of the

feeling you might get

just seeing their misfortune -

another word for bad luck.

Yes, that is a very

satisfying feeling, but it's

quite a mean feeling too.

It is but we'll be

discussing why that

feeling could actually be

good for us. But first,

let's set a question for

you Rob, and our

listeners at home, to

answer. This is about false

cognates - also called false

friends - words that look the

same in two languages but

have different meanings.

So, in English we have the

word 'rat' but what does

that mean in German? Is  it:a) a big mouse, b) annoyed

or c) advice?

That's tricky because I don't  speak German. So, I'll guess

and say b) annoyed.

Well, I'll have the answer

later on. Now, let's talk

more about schadenfreude.

Enjoying someone's

misfortune can certainly

make us feel good.

And studies have shown this feeling is quite

normal - particularly when

is happens to someone

we envy. If we see a

wealthy celebrity

suffering on a reality

TV show, or are

exposed for not paying

their taxes, we feel

good. We say they've

had their comeuppance.

That's a good word - meaning

a person's bad luck that

is considered to be

deserved punishment for

something bad that

they have done.

Let's hear from psychologist,  Wilco Van Dijk from the

University of Leiden,

who's been talking about

this on the BBC Radio 4

programme, All in the Mind.

What have his studies

found about our enjoyment

of others misfortune?

People especially feel schadenfreude when they

think the misfortune is

deserved. Then the question

is where this joy arises,

is this actually joy

experienced towards the

misfortune of others or is

it also at least partly

about a just situation ...

that this misfortune of

another actually appeals

to a sense of justice.

That's also the reason why

we like the misfortune of

hypocrites because if they

fall down that also is a

deserved situation.

OK, so Wilco Van Dijk's studies found we get joy

when someone's misfortune is

deserved - there is justice -

in other words, the punishment

someone receives is fair.

And 'a just situation' means  'a fair situation', it is

right. So, I guess he's

saying we're not just

being mean.

Yes. And he also mentioned  the type of people whose

misfortune is just and

deserved, are hypocrites -

people who claim to have

certain moral beliefs but

actually behave in a way

that shows they

are not sincere.

The All in the Mind programme  also heard from another

expert on the subject ...

author and historian of emotions,

Dr Tiffany Watt-Smith. She

talked about how schadenfreude

is a subjective thing - based on

our feelings - and it's not

as simple as deciding what

is right or wrong. What

word does she use that

means 'to express sympathy

to someone about someone's

bad luck'?

We don't really experience emotions, you know, as

either-or things, it's not

black or white. I think it's

perfectly reasonable that

we could genuinely

commiserate with someone

else's misfortune at the

same time as a terrible

sly smile spreading across

our lips because, you

know, something we've

envied about them has

turned out not to work

out so well or whatever

it is. You know, we

have a much deeper

ability to hold

contradictory emotions

in mind, much more

so than your average

moral philosopher

would allow.

Interesting stuff. She says when something goes

wrong for someone, we

have the ability to

commiserate with them -

that's the word for

expressing sympathy to

someone about their

bad luck.

So overall, Tiffany Watt-Smith thinks we

have a range of emotions

when we experience

schadenfreude - but these

are contradictory emotions -

different and opposite

emotions. Maybe, Neil,

we should just be

nicer people?

No way! I loved seeing Germany getting knocked out

of last year's World Cup...

not really! Talking of

Germany, earlier we

mentioned false friends

and I asked: in English

we have the word 'rat'

but what does that mean

in German? Is it: a) a big mouse, b) annoyed,

c) advice? And Rob, you said ... I said b) annoyed.

And that is the wrong answer, I'm afraid. The

right answer is

c) advice. Well done

if you knew that at home. Now on to the vocabulary

we looked at

in this programme.

So, today we've been talking about

schadenfreude - that

describes the satisfying

feeling you get when

something bad happens

to someone else.

And that's an example of a loanword - a word from

one language that is used

in another language without

being changed. In this

case, German.

We mentioned 'comeuppance',  which describes a person's

misfortune that is considered

to be deserved punishment

for something bad that

they've done.

Next we mentioned justice -  that's the punishment someone

receives that is fair for

what they've done. And the

word just describes

something that is

fair and right.

'Hypocrites' are people who claim to have

certain moral beliefs

but actually behave in

a way that shows they

are not sincere.

And finally 'commiserate' is a word that means

'expressing sympathy to

someone about their

bad luck'. That's the verb.

The noun form is

'commiseration'.

Well, commiserations, Neil, we've run out of time

for this programme.

See you soon, goodbye.

Goodbye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute

English from BBC Learning

English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Georgina.

This is the programme where we hope to add some

colour to your life by

talking about an interesting

subject, and teaching you

some useful vocabulary.

And colour is what we're  talking about today. What's

your favourite colour, Neil?

Oh, I like green - a fresh,  bold colour, that reminds me

of nature. It can have a

calming effect. And you?

It's got to be blue. It reminds me of the sea,

the sky ... and holidays,

of course!

Colour - no matter which one  we prefer - affects how we

feel. And we'll be talking

about that soon. But not

before I challenge you to

answer my quiz question,

Georgina. And it's a science

question. Do you know what

the splitting of white light

into its different colours

is called? Is it a) dispersion,

b) reflection or c) refraction?

Hmmm, well I'm not a scientist,  so, I'll have a guess

as c) refraction.

OK, I'll reveal the right  answer later on. But now,

let's talk more about colour.

Colour can represent many

different things, depending

on where you come from.

You can be 'green with envy' -

wishing you had what

someone else had.

And someone can 'feel blue'  - so feel depressed. We

choose colours to express

ourselves in what we wear

or how we decorate our home.

The BBC Radio 4 programme, You and Yours, has been

talking about colour and

whether it affects

everyone's mood. Karen Haller

is a colour psychologist and

a colour designer and

consultant - she explained

how colour affects us.

It's the way that we take  in the wavelengths of light

because colour is wavelengths

of light, and it's how that

comes in through our eye,

and then it goes into

the part of our brain

called the hypothalamus,

which governs our sleeping

patterns, our hormones, our

behaviours, our appetite ...

it governs everything and

so, different colours and

different frequencies or

different wavelengths of

light, we have different

responses and different

reactions to them.

So, colour is wavelengths  of light - a wavelength is

the distance between two

waves of sound or light

that are next to each

other. As these wavelengths

change, so does the

colour we see.

Thanks for the science lesson!  Karen also explained that

there's a part of our brain

that controls - she used the

word govern - how we feel and

how we behave. And this can

change depending on what

colour we see.

Interesting stuff... of  course, colour can affect us

differently. Seeing red can

make one person angry but

someone else may just

feel energised.

Homeware and furnishing  manufacturers offer a whole

spectrum - or range - of

colours to choose to suit

everyone's taste, and mood.

But during the recent

coronavirus pandemic, there

was a rise in demand for

intense, bright shades

and patterns. This was

referred to as 'happy

design' - design that was

meant to help lift

our mood.

Yes, and Karen Haller spoke  a bit more about this on

the You and Yours programme.

In the time when everyone was  out and we were all working,

and we lived very busy lives,

quite often what people

wanted - they wanted a quiet

sanctuary to come back to,

so they had very pale

colours or very low chromatic

colours in their house -

low saturation - because

that helped them unwind and

helped them relax and to

feel very soothed. But what

I have found since the first

lockdown is a lot of people,

because they're not getting

that outside stimulation,

they're actually putting a

lot of brighter colours in

their home because they're

trying to bring in that

feeling that they would

have got when they were out,

that excitement

and that buzz.

It seems that in our normal  busy working lives, our

homes were peaceful places

and somewhere to relax -

they were a sanctuary.

To create this relaxing

space, we use pale

colours - ones that lack

intensity, like sky blue.

But during the recent lockdowns, when we weren't

outside much, we tried

to get that stimulation -

that excitement or

experience - by decorating

our homes with brighter

colour. Such as yellow!

Hmmm, perhaps a little too  bright for me! It is all

about personal taste and

the connections we make

with the colours we see

but it makes sense that

brighter colours can

certainly lift our mood.

Now, earlier I asked you, Georgina, do you

know what the splitting

of white light into its

different colours is

called? Is it a) dispersion,

b) reflection or

c) refraction? And I said it was refraction.

Sorry, Georgina, that's wrong.

It is actually called

dispersion. Back to school

for you - but not before we

recap some of

today's vocabulary.

OK. Firstly, we can describe  someone who wishes they

had what someone else has,

as being 'green with envy'.

We also talked about a 'wavelength' - the distance

between two waves of sound

or light that are next

to each other.

'To govern' means to control or influence.

'A sanctuary' can be apeaceful or relaxing place -

in some cases it can be a

safe place for

someone in danger.

'Stimulation' describes the  feeling of being excited,

interested or enthused by

something. And 'pale' describes

a colour that lacks intensity,

it's not very bright ... and

for me, they're much better

than a bold bright yellow!

Well, Georgina, thanks for  showing your true colours!

That's all for now, but

we'll be picking another

topic to discuss out of

the blue, next time.

Don't forget you can hear other 6 Minute English

programmes and much more

on our website at

bbclearningenglish.com -

and we're always posting

stuff on our social media

platforms. Bye for now.

Goodbye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from

BBC Learning English. I'm Sam.

And I'm Neil.

Neil, would you describe  yourself as 'a numbers person'?

If you mean, am I someone who  understands numbers and is

good as using them and interpreting

data, then no!

OK. So, maybe like me, you  weren't good at maths at school?

No, I wasn't. Algebra, geometry,  times tables - it was all

very confusing.

We're not alone, Neil. But the  fear of numbers might just be

in our heads and we might

have enough number knowledge

to get by with. That's what

we'll be exploring in this

programme while looking at

some relevant vocabulary.

But, sorry, Neil, I'm going

to start with a maths question!

It's thought the largest number

in the world is called a googol.

It's written with a 1 and how

many zeros? Is it

a) A hundred zeros, b) A thousand zeros

or c) Ten thousand zeros? I'll guess ten thousand zeros.

OK. I'll reveal the answer later on.

But let's talk more about the fear

of numbers now. Of course, numbers

are important in our lives but

one bad experience at school can

put us off them for life.

'Put off' means make someone

dislike something.

What put me off maths was it  was not only complicated but

very theoretical - and not very

practical - useful for real-life

situations. And the problem now

is, it's easy to be fooled by

fancy figures that we

get told about.

This is something The Why Factor programme on

BBC World Service has

been exploring. They spoke to

Charles Seife, who's an author

and professor at New York

University, who explained why

we are at the mercy of people

who throw numbers at us ...

Because we are primed not  to question numbers, certain

people have learned that numbers

are perhaps the most powerful

tools for deception...

advertisers, marketers,

politicians, who try to convince

the public through spurious

oratory - have learned that

the one thing they can't get

challenged on is numbers or

challenges are ineffective.

Interesting words from Charles Seife there. He

explains that numbers might

be a powerful tool for

deceiving people. Many of us

are primed - so, told to

behave in a certain situation

and in a certain way - not to

question numbers,

accept them as fact.

Yes, and this is dangerous.  So, when politicians, for

example, do good and

effective public speaking -

known as oratory - the

information they give could

be spurious - that means false,

not correct or inaccurate.

But numbers are more

persuasive - they make you

believe something is true.

So, unless you're confident  with numbers, you're unlikely

to challenge the facts and

figures that you are given.

So, Sam, if I said to you

ten per cent of the ten million

people who eat meat have a

twenty per cent chance of

being five per cent

overweight - would you

challenge that?

I'd have to go away and work  that out! As I said, Neil,

I'm not a numbers person. Even

talking about numbers

makes me anxious.

Well, interestingly, The Why Factor

programme explained that girls

are more anxious about

learning maths, but even if

they feel more nervous about

maths, they aren’t any worse

with numbers than their more

confident classmates. It's just

the fear that's stopping you!

Well maybe, but one bad experience can knock our

confidence and ability

to use maths.

Take comfort from Paula Miles,  who teaches statistics to

psychology students at St. Andrews

University. She told The Why Factor

that she thinks there's no

such thing as 'a numbers person' ...

There is no such thing as  someone who is a 'number person'

or not. If we're taught in the

right way, then I think we

all have the potential to

be a numbers person. I'm not

saying we're all going to

grow up to be mathematicians

but we're all going to get

to a point where we have

the basic numeracy skills

that we need to be able

to cope in our environment ...

I feel a little better now!

We all have the possibility

within us - or potential -

to be a numbers person.

Yes, I think it's about survival.  We want to develop numeracy -

basic mathematical skills - to

use numbers in a particular

situation that we are in.

We might not be a genius

like Einstein, but we know

enough to work things out.

I wonder if you worked out

the answer to my question

correctly, Neil? Earlier,

I asked about what's thought

to be the largest number in

the world - called a googol.

How many zeros does it have?

hundred zeros, a thousand

zeros, or ten thousand zeros?

I said ten thousand zeros.

Sorry, Neil. A googol is  ten to the 100th power - so,

a mere 100 zeros.

I don't think I'll be using  that number anytime soon.

But I might be using some

of the vocabulary we've

discussed today, including

a numbers person.

That's someone who understands

numbers and is good as

using them and interpreting

data - not like us!

If you are put off something,  it means you are made to

dislike something. And to

be primed means told to

behave in a certain situation.

The skill of effective public  speaking is known as oratory.

And spurious means false,

inaccurate, or not correct.

And when we have the possibility within us to

do something, we describe

it as our potential. And

having numeracy means

having basic

mathematical skills.

But now we've reached the number six - six minutes

of English. Thanks very much

for listening and goodbye.

Bye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute

English from BBC Learning

English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Georgina.

In this programme, we're

looking for utopia.

You mean a perfect world - a

place where everyone lives

together in harmony.

Does that kind of

place exist, Rob?

Umm probably not, but

it's something we

aspire to create - a

happy place where

everyone is cared for

and nobody goes without.

Well, let me know

if you find it, and

I'll head there

straight away.

Well, one place that

is trying to be like

that is the Dutch city

of Amsterdam. We're

going to be finding out

what they're doing with

the help of some

doughnuts! But first,

Georgina, I have a

perfect question for

you! According to the

2020 United Nations World

Happiness Report, which

country is the world's

happiest? Is it a) Finland,

b) Singapore or c) Austria?

That's tricky, but I

imagine that - if only

for the scenery -

it's a) Finland.

OK, Georgina, I'll tell

you if you are right

or wrong later on.

Anyway, let's get back

to Amsterdam - a city

that's doing its best

to use creative ideas

to be sustainable.

That's right, and it's

using the concept of a

ring doughnut to use as

a model for its

sustainability. Economist

Kate Raworth, who we will

hear from shortly,

describes this as "a

picture of 21st Century

prosperity for humanity."

Now thinking of this

'ring doughnut' - the idea

is not to leave anyone

in the hole in the

middle falling short

on the essentials of

life - but at the same

time not going beyond the

outer ring, because there

we put so much pressure

on our planetary home

it can cause climate change.

So, here is Kate Raworth

speaking on the BBC World

Service programme, People

Fixing the World, talking

about how Amsterdam is

trying to fit into this

'doughnut' approach ...

Amsterdam has started with

a goal of saying we want

to be a thriving, inclusive,

regenerative city for all

residents while respecting

planetary boundaries - that's

like saying we want our city

to live in the doughnut.

And that changes how you

build - you don't bring in

more new raw materials

from across the other side

of the world - you say,

right, how do we re-use the

construction materials that

are already in our city

to build new buildings?

How do we change the way

that people travel? Start

asking very different

questions from the outdated

economic mindset that

they were taught before.

Interesting stuff from

Kate Raworth there. The

people of Amsterdam are

trying to live within the

doughnut! Their aim is to

live and look after each

other without harming

the planet. It's a big aim -

but they want their city

to be thriving - so, growing

and being successful.

And it wants to be

inclusive - including

everyone and treating them

equally. This is

beginning to sound like

utopia, Rob! To achieve

this, Kate talked about

using locally-sourced materials

for building and thinking

about how people travel

around - basically making

it a sustainable city.

It's about people thinking

differently and not doing

things in the same way

they've always been done.

It involves changing the

way people think, or

their mindset.

Another idea from the

Netherlands that fits the

doughnut model is the

making of recycled jeans.

The People Fixing the World

programme visited a

company where old jeans

were mixed with new organic

cotton to make new ones.

The new ones might not be

affordable for everyone,

but they do reduce cotton

production and the use

of chemicals and water.

The process creates jobs too.

Well, let's hear from

Bert van Son, CEO of

Mud Jeans. Listen to why

he tries to work within

the doughnut model...

If you take the doughnut

economy and you see the

insides of the circles -

if you break that boundary,

mistreat people, and you

have people making your

jeans but they don't have

any social security, or

any liberty, or any

medical care, those kind

of things, you will

never be able to make

nice jeans - it has to

become human again,

making clothing.

Bert van Son sees the

benefit of the doughnut

economy by treating people

fairly and with respect -

the opposite is to mistreat.

He thinks they should

have things such as

social security - a payment

system by governments that

helps people live

a reasonable life.

And he says you can't make

'nice' jeans without being

human - he doesn't just

mean being a person, but

being someone with compassion,

feelings and respect

for others.

Umm, all this from a doughnut!

Hopefully, this will lead

to a happier city and

country. But for now,

what is the happiest country

in the world, Georgina?

Yes, you asked me earlier,

according to the 2020 United

Nations World Happiness

Report, which country has

been named the world's

happiest? And I said Finland.

Come on, make me happy and

tell me, I am right!

Well, happily, you are correct.

Well done. Finland is top

of the list for the third

year in a row, with Denmark

coming in second. But

before you head off there,

we need to recap some

of the vocabulary we've

discussed today.

Of course. We've been

discussing utopia - a perfect

place where everyone

lives together in harmony.

Thriving describes something

that is growing and successful.

And inclusive means including

everyone and treating

them equally.

We also mentioned mindset.

That describes the fixed

thoughts and attitudes

someone has.

To mistreat someone is to

treat them badly or cruelly.

And social security is a

payment system by governments

that helps people live

a reasonable life.

OK, well that's all for this

programme. We'll see you

again soon for more trending

topics and vocabulary here

at 6 Minute English.

Bye for now!

Bye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

I'm Sam.

And I'm Neil.

Have you heard this joke, Neil?

Question: what's a rat's

favourite game?

I don't know, Sam, what is a rat's favourite game?

Hide and squeak!

Ha-ha-ha! Very funny!

Well, I'm glad you're laughing

because, as we'll be finding out

in this programme, laughter is

good for you! In fact, laughter

is often called

'the best medicine'.

And it seems that's really true,

medically speaking. Laughing

releases anti-stress endorphins

into the body and there's

evidence that people who laugh

recover more quickly from

illness, including Covid.

Laughing is an essential part

of what makes us human.

Babies cry straight from

birth but the next sound

they make, often as young

as two or three months,

is laughter.

And who can hear a baby

laugh without laughing

themselves? Laughter

is catching.

But before we start tickling

our funny bones, I have

a quiz question for you,

Neil, and it's no laughing

matter. Laughter can be a

serious business. In fact,

there's a scientific field

of study into laughter and

its effects on the

human body. But what is this

study called? Is it:

a) gigglology?, b) gelotology?

or c) guffology?

Did you make those words up,

Sam? They sound a bit funny

to me! I'll say the study

of laughter is

called b) gelotology.

OK, Neil, but you'll be

laughing on the other side

of your face if you're wrong!

Anyway, we'll find out the

correct answer later

in the programme.

Someone who's an expert

in the study of laughing -

whatever it's called - is

cognitive neuroscientist,

Professor Sophie Scott.

Here she explains to

David Edmonds, presenter

of BBC World Service

programme, The Big Idea,

exactly how a laugh

is produced.

Laughing is a variation

of breathing. Like

breathing, it involves

the rib cage.

When you laugh you get

these very, very large,

very fast contractions of

the rib cage. And it's a

very primitive way of

making a sound, so

you're really just

squeezing air out in

big bouts. Each of

those individual

squeezes gives you

a 'ha!' sound.

The 'ha-ha' sound

you make when you

laugh comes from

your rib cage - a

structure made of bones,

called ribs, inside your

chest which protects

the heart and lungs.

The rib cage works like

a drum to amplify a laugh.

It's the reason why

jokes are sometimes

called 'rib-ticklers'.

Professor Scott calls

this a very primitive

way of making sounds

because it's simple,

natural and

essentially human.

The word primitive can

be used to describe

anything relating to

the basic way humans

lived in their early

stages of development,

before money, machines

or writing were invented.

Primitive human noises,

like crying and laughing,

link to a universal human

experience, and this can

be seen in the large

number of words we use

to talk about them.

In English, 'chuckle',

'giggle', 'chortle',

'cackle' and 'guffaw'

all describe different

types of laughter.

Right, so how would

you describe a

'giggle', Sam?

I'd say a giggle is

laughing in a quiet but

uncontrolled way, like a

child who finds something

very funny or

feels embarrassed.

Unlike a guffaw which

is when you blast out

a very loud laugh, often

at something stupid or

rude someone has said.

But humans aren't

the only animals to

laugh. We belong to

the same family as

other primates like

chimpanzees, gorillas

and orangutans, all

of whom laugh.

Even rats tickle each

other and make squeaky

noises like laughter when

they play. Here's

Professor Scott again

to take up the story for

BBC World Service programme,

The Big Idea.

Play is a very important

behaviour for mammals - all

mammals play when they're

juveniles and some mammals

play their whole lives,

and laughter is a sort

of an invitation to play,

it’s a sign that

you're playing.

Professor Scott says

that laughter is an

important social tool

for all mammals - animals,

including humans, dogs

and whales, which give

birth to live young,

rather than laying

eggs, and who feed

their young with milk.

By laughing, young

mammals - sometimes

called juveniles - signal

that they want to play,

and young rats who don't

laugh back are more

likely to get a bite

than a giggle. And a

rat bite is nothing

to laugh about.

What a lot of facts

we've learned about

laughter, Neil!

Yes, we could almost

be experts on

laughter... 'Guffologists',

isn't that what you

called them, Sam?

Ah yes, in my quiz

question I asked you

to name the scientific

study of laughter and

its effects on the body.

I'm almost certain it's

not 'gigglology' or

'guffology'! So, the

answer must be...

Gelotology! The

correct answer!

Well done, Neil, I knew

you were good for a laugh!

OK. Let's recap the

vocabulary from the

programme before you

think up any more terrible

jokes! First, we had

rib cage - the structure in

your chest which is made

of ribs, and produces the

sound of a laugh.

The adjective primitive

relates to the simple,

natural way humans lived

in their early

stages of development.

There are different types

of laughter, including

giggles - childlike laughter

in a quiet but uncontrolled way.

And guffaw is when you

laugh out loud, often at

something someone has said.

Mammals are animals,

including humans, which

give birth to live young

and feed them with milk.

And finally, a young animal

which is not fully grown

can be called a juvenile.

Well, it's been a laugh

a minute, Sam, but

unfortunately our six

minutes are up.

Join us again soon for

more trending topics,

useful vocabulary, and,

who knows, maybe some

terrible jokes, here at

6 Minute English.

Bye for now!

Goodbye!